


Mistakes

by inatshej



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Laura Hale, Alive Vernon Boyd & Erica Reyes, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Boys Kissing, Boys' Love, Bullying, Cats, Derek With Cats, Friends to Lovers, Gentle Derek, Hopeful Ending, M/M, New York City, POV Stiles, Scott McCall & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Scott is a Good Friend, Stiles Leaves Beacon Hills, Stiles Stilinski Cooks, Tags Are Fun, Veterinarian Scott, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000, Workplace Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-09-25 09:22:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9813029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inatshej/pseuds/inatshej
Summary: Stiles hears sorry, which, yeah, sorry. Five letters of fucking nothing. But Derek starts talking about the fire – the anger – the bad place he's been in, the mistakes.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language.

Stiles just got a new job and his work is great, people seem okay, and it's all awesome. Then, he sees this really, really handsome guy from another department during a lunch. Everything was going so fine today he finds himself coming up to him to strike a conversation, because, why not? He's seriously good-looking.

And the guy seems all right. Kinda closed off, shy, but that's not a problem, Stiles talks and the guy – Derek Hale – doesn't seem to mind.

So the next day, he talks with him during the lunch too, and it just keeps going. Soon, he manages to get this smile from Derek and it makes him grin in answer. He can't wait to get to lunch and talk with Derek, because that's the only person he really talks to now, since he just came to New York and Scott is still in Beacon Hills.

It may be hard to believe, but then again, Derek isn't the most open person he knows, and only after about two weeks he hears about Derek's sister, Laura Hale.

Laura Hale as in ''she is great, Stiles, I helped with her cat, you should visit her'' – Scott's friend, because Scott has friends everywhere. Well, now. They were kinda by themselves, him and Scott, until high school happened.

And so he visits Laura just to visit Derek – cause they live together. When he spots Derek sitting in an armchair, reading a book with a gentle music in the background he is so surprised he can't move for a second, just stare at how _soft_ Derek looks.

He should feel kinda weird in their house. He doesn't. It feels great, people are coming and going, he talks with Laura's friends for a while about New York, and discusses with Derek's friends, Erica and Boyd, which of the Hales' cats is the cutest, and just how amazing is their library.

He can't keep himself from visiting again and again, just to feel bad about it and start cooking in their place to squish the feeling, then bake some cookies, which serve their purpose, cause Laura decides he has to cook for them now.

The greatest moments are those quiet, though, which he spends with Derek, talking over Pink Floyd, Ladytron, Blur that Laura keeps on playing.

He spends some time in his apartment, of course, but it's more and more just his bedroom.

It changes when Derek hears his surname. He has no idea what's wrong – because it's just his surname – but Derek just looks at him with this hurt and stands up from their lunch table. Stiles tries to go after him, but Derek snapped 'Leave me alone' in such a dark voice freezes Stiles in spot. He had no idea Derek could get this- sharp- or, rough.

He visits Laura because it's just his surname, for fuck's sake, and she doesn't tell him what's wrong but asks to give Derek some time.

So he waits. He doesn't go to their house, he doesn't come up to Derek during lunch, if anyone at work needs to visits another department, it's not him anymore.

He stays at his apartment, bleak and with no memories. It's making him itchy, he needs to have something on his mind, and so he works. Decides to cook at Laura's – just Laura's, Derek is either outside or in his room. Stiles bakes. Sleeps. Works. Cooks.

A few days like that and he stares at his lunch, not feeling the taste anymore, planning out what exactly he needs to do today. Sighs. Works. Goes to Laura's and starts cooking. She just looks at him and leaves without a word. When Derek comes into the kitchen, Stiles cuts the vegetables mindlessly. But Derek actually talks – or rather, orders him – to stop working. But he will just cook, okay? Not much more left to do-

No, interrupts Derek, he is stopping _now_.

This tone – cold – so unlike anything he's ever heard from Derek, his too-tight grip on Stiles' arm, and his hard gaze again, seems so different from Derek he knows he lets himself be led upstairs to Derek's room where he is supposed to sleep.

Which is ridiculous. He can go to his apartm-

''No'', growls Derek, this time pinning him to a wall, restricting his movements, fist in his shirt, ''you're staying here.''

And then goes out.

So Stiles lays down and only after a moment realises that he feels weird. Like, after drinking too much coffee. And, sure, it was Derek – with his everything – pinning him to a wall, so of course-

but that's not it, and here's a strange thing. Stiles is scared.

Derek's anger scared him.

 

He sleeps and it's better. It's much better. Derek talks with him again, explains that Beacon Hills is a bad memory.

Stiles doesn't press, too relieved having Derek again. And again, they talk so much, until one day it happens, Stiles stays longer at his place, they laugh about something or the other, they lean closer, they kiss.

They are together. It's good.

Laura is just happy about getting Stiles' food. Their other friends, by now Stiles' friends just as well, also accept them easily. Derek tells him about the rest of his family, gone.

He gets weird dreams sometimes. Unpleasant, about his childhood. Derek looks at him with this unreadable expression. Laura and Derek argue, though he doesn't kow what about.

But that's just life. When he gets too lost in his job, Derek is there, helping him. Caring for him in this different, rough way. Stiles gets it, though. You get rough and angry sometimes, when you care.

He visits Beacon Hills. He meets up with Scott, searches through his stuff, choosing things he will need in New York.

It brings back memories and it's fun, actually, until it's not. He finds the letters he kept on writing to his mother after her death. God, he forgot what a bad time he had back then. He forgot about all the bullying-

he forgot about those older kids-

he forgot Derek Hale, shoving him too hard into the locker, bruising him, threatening.

Derek Hale, now his boyfriend.

He goes back to work, and his life, because what else can he do?

He tells Derek, because what else can he do?

He kind of stops coming over to Derek and Laura, because what else...

It's all just so tiring.

He still sees Derek, of course. He is there, somewhere, with his job.

One day, Laura visits. He isn't sure how long or how short it was since he's broken up with Derek, because all days are kinda the same. She states it's for his food and it's as good excuse as any, really.

There is Erica and Boyd too. Stiles can tell they are waiting for something, but he has no idea what for.

Derek was-

you don't just roll along with that stuff, right?

Scott comes. It's better. He gets him delivered to Laura and Derek's house. Stiles is about to bail out, but Laura opens the door and it's all kinds of awkward-

which it is not. She just smiles a bit and gets them inside.

Scott sits down with Derek, telling him something, and Stiles bakes, because he doesn't have to think about anything when he bakes, just adds flour, butter, eggs, he mixes the dough, he forms.

Stiles gets the cookies inside the oven when Scott comes back to look at him expectantly.

Laura observes them.

Boyd keeps on playing Kula Shaker and Erica talks about something, both trying to keep up the appearance of normalcy here.

Derek looks right at Stiles from across the room and the normalcy's gone, so he leaves.

It's too much, what is he supposed to think-

Derek comes after him.

He hears sorry, which, yeah, _sorry_. Five letters of fucking nothing. But Derek starts talking about the fire – the anger – the bad place he's been in, the mistakes.

Stiles makes mistakes. He gets caught up with work, he tries to ignore how bad Derek seems, he doesn't quite appreciate his friends' efforts, even now, at Laura and Derek's house, he breaks up with Derek because that's what you'd do, right?

It's fucked up, but he wants it, this something with different Derek, so soft normally, turning angry and rough when he sees Stiles hurting. It's fucked up that he wants that.

But it doesn't matter.

Because Derek wants that, too.

 


End file.
